Fuel burner



Jan. 27, 1931. V s. T. WARNER 1,790,395

FUEL BURNER Filed Dec. 7, 1927 3 n {is 25 a .30 E I 2 21 9 1 PuLv. com.

Patented Jan. 27., 1931' UNI-ran: PATENT 'VOFFICE SAMUEL '1. WARNER, on NEW YORK, n.1,

ASSIGNOR '10 PEAIBODY ENGINEERING COB- PORATION,-OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

A conromrrolv or NEW YORK 1 FUEL BURNER Application" fild December- 7, 1927.! Serial No. 238,279.

My invention relates to fuel burners .and will be understood by reference tolthefollowing description taken in .connecti' fn' with'the accompanying drawingsin which Fig; 1 is a vertical longitudinal section with certain parts in elevation; Fig. 2a front view, and Fig. 3 a transverse section on the plane of line 3-3, Fig. 1.

Similar reference numerals indicate similar parts in the several views.

My improved burner comprises an air register A, an oil burner B, a pulverized coal burner C and a gas burner D. These parts are assembled in the relation shown and are supportedbetween the front housing plate 1 and the furnace wall 2.

The air register is of known type, the general features of which are described in U. S.

Patent No. 1,527 .214. It consists essentially spacers 5. These spacers serve as supports for doors 6which are hinged thereon. By

means of hand wheel 7 and a shaft and pinion (not shown) all the doors may be moved simultaneously from open to closed position, or vice versa. The doors provide air passages of such form that the air for combustion is gix'en, a whirling motion, all as set so forth in said patent and thereforenot requiring further description; r u i The back plate 4 is frusto conical with its smaller end toward the furnace. It has a laterally extending flange 8 against which bears the flange 9 of a member 10. The latter is a frusto conical casting, the inclination of the wall of which, toward the furnace, is somewhat less than that of the wall of plate 4 of which it forms practically a continuation.

The front plate 3 of the air register is formed with a. hub 11 which forms a bearing for the oil burner and in which it may be ad justed to any desired position with relation to the other burners. The oil burner and the system employed may be'that described in -U. S. Patent No. 1,628,424, to which reference may be had for a more complete description. The parts here illustrated comprise a pipe 50 12 which carries on its inner end a. diffuser 13 which latter may be of the type described in U. SPatentNo. 1,494,013. The oil supply and return pipesare housedwithin the pipe 12. The burner barrel 14 at its rear end is screwed into a fitting 15 which carries one member of adetachable coupling, by means of which the fuel burner is held in position so that the tip 14 will deliver the fuel in the form of a diverging come, all as fully described in said Patent No. 1,628,424 and also in U. S. Patent No. 1,523,079.

Surrounding the member 10 is a ring, which may be a casting, having inwardly extending flanges 17, 18 and 19 and an outwardly extending flange 20. When assembled, as shown, the frusto conical back plate 4 of the air register, the frusto conical member 10 and the member 16 are secured together by bolts 21 thus forming a chamber C bounded by member 10, a portion of the wall of member 16 and the flange 17 and 18. The flange 17 provides a seat for member 10 sothat the latter is held in axial'alinement with the air register. The member 16 is formed with an extension 22 having a flange 22 to which is connected a pipe (not shown) leading from a supply of pulverized coal.

One plate of the side wall of the pulverized coal inlet 22 is substantially tangential to the wall of member 10. The outer wall of the inlet 22 is tangential to the outer wall of member 16 at the point 16. The member 10 being frusto conical is, of course, circular in cross section. The outer wall 16 of chamber C is a scroll or curve of gradually decreasing radius so that said wall gradually approaches the inner wall, as shown in Fig. 3. The members 10 and 16 therefore form an enclosed box or conduit which is circular on the inside and of decreasing radius of curvature on the outside thereof from the inlet 22 in the direction of flow of the in coming fuel.

The fuel, suspended in a stream of carrier air. is made to flow into the chamber C from which it is discharged through an annular slot 23 between the end of member 10 and the inclined flange 18. The walls of slot 23 are inclined to the axis of the burner at an angle of about so that the pulverized 00:11 is discharged in a thin, even stream in By making The gas box or chamber D is formed by a a ring 24 having an outwardly projecting flange 25 by which said ring is bolted to the flanges 18 and 19 of the member 16. Said ring and flanges. together with a portion of the wall of member 16. forms the chamber D to which gas is admitted through a suitable inlet, as indicated at 26 in Fig. 1. The ring 24 is spaced from flange 18 to provide a narrow annular slot 27. the walls of which are inclined toward the axis of the burner so as to discharge the gas in the form of a converging cone.

The ring 24 is cylindrical and bears the same relation to the outer wall 16 of the gas chamber as above described with reference to walls 10 and 16 of the pulverized coal burner. that is. the interior of the chamber D is of gradually decreasing cross-sectional area from the inlet 26 to maintain the velocity of the gas as it flows through the box and is discharged through the slot 27.

At its rear end. member 16 is secured by bolts through flange 20 to the furnace casing 31. Also. bolted to said plate is a cylindrical member 28 having an outwardly extending flange 29. This member abuts against the rear end of the gas box and is seated in an opening in the furnace wall 2, as shown. The member 28. in fact. constitutes the furnace throat. The chamber 30 may be filled with plastic asbestos to protect the gas box from the heat transmitted through the furnace wall.

The burners in the described unit may be operated by drawing air for combustion through the register by natural draft. Should it be desired to use forced draft. I provide the usual housing of which the plate 1. the finish ring 1. and the front plate 3 of the register form a part. This housing (not illustrated except for the parts named) forms an air tight closed box surrounding the air register and burners and to which air under pressure is admitted through a suitable opening. as is well understood. The removable plate or finish ring 1' is provided for closing in the space between the front housing plate and the front plate 3 of the air register. Upon the removal of the ring 1 and bolts 21 the air register may be removed without disturbing the remainder of the housing.

The described unit was designed by me to meet the demands for an installation which will provide an eflicient burner adapted for oil, powdered coal or gas, either one alone or in any desired combination, and in which a change from one fuel to another may be quickly made, according to conditions prevailing at the installation.

Among the advantages of the present invention may be noted the following. The use of oil fuel in connection with gas as an alternative is desirable in any field where gas is available. As, however, the supply of gas, particularly natural gas, is not always certain, oil, which may be conveniently stored, is the best and natural fuel for keeping a plant in operation until the gas supply is reestablished. The only manipulations required when changing from one fuel to the other is the closing of the gas valve and the opening of the oil valve, or vice versa. lVhen burning gas alone. or the two fuels together, the register with adjustable doors, giving the air for combustion a rotary motion, furnishes an adequate supply of air. The air combines with the oil imparting to the latter a whirling motion, the column then commingling with the gas as it is discharged through the annular slot 27. The rotary movement of the air promotes the mixture of the fuel and air and the rapid and complete combustion of the fuel.

The unit may also be operated to burn pulverized coal and oil, either alone or together, without any change in the boiler furnace. A combined oil and powdered coal burner is of particular advantage in the marine field. The pulverized coal, suspended in a stream of carrier .air, enters through the tangential inlet 22, fills the chamber C and passes out through the annular opening 23,

to the furnace throat. Due to the tangential inlet and varying volume form of chamber C, certain predetermined quantities of carrier air and fuel will be discharged through the outlet 23 in a thin sheet with a whirling motion relatively to the axis of the burner, and into the whirling column of air entering through the register. These two columns whose direction of rotation may be the same or opposite, impinge upon each other at an angle to produce great turbulence of the mixtureand consequent complete mixture of the fuel and air. Any desired proportions of fuel or air may be maintained.

By locating the liquid fuel burner coaxial with the air register, and adjustable thereon, liquid fuel may be burned in the manner usual with such burners. This combination also provides a ready means for lighting off the pulverized fuel.

Instead of a combination of pulverized coal and oil. the former may be used with gas. the oil burner being withdrawn.

While it may not be necessary, in any given installation. to operate the three burners at the same time, the present unit enables any one alone or two.of them in combination, according to local conditions, and at the same time it provides a structure in which the three burners are combined in such way that the presence of a burner not in use does n-otaifect in any way the operation of a used burner. In an installation where powdered coal is the main the efficient operation of reliance, should there be a failure in the sup-- ply, the lack of a burner for a substitute uel ever of the three fuels may be selected for the prevailing or normal operation of the plant, an installation having the present unit, need not anticipate a shut down or stoppage of the power unit, as the substitution of one kind of fuel for another, the supply of which becomes exhausted, is available for instant use.

So far as I am aware, I am the first to provide a unitary structure combining the above desirable features.

What I claim is 5 1. In combination, a furnace having a wall with an opening therein, a fuel box and means for securing the same in position at the front of said opening, said box having a fuel inlet and outlet, a second box secured to the first-named box, and having a fuel inlet and' outlet, and an air register secured to said second box, said fuel boxes being annular in form and assembled in axial alinement to provide a passage for the air, and

' sa1d outlets being so disposed as to discharge the fuel into the column of air asit flo-ws through said passage.

2. In combination, a furnace having a wall with an opening therein, a fuel box and means for securing the same in position at the front of said opening, said box having a fuel inlet and outlet, a second box secured to the first-named box, and having a fuel inlet and outlet, and an air register secured to said second box, said fuel boxes being annular in form and assembled in axial alinement to provide a passage for the air, said outlets being so disposed as to discharge the fuel into the column of air as it flows through said passage, and means for giving the air a whirling motion.

8. In combination, a furnace having a wall with an opening therein, a fuel box and means for securing the same in position at the front of said opening,"said box having a fuel inlet and outlet, a second box secured' to said first-named box and also having a fuel inlet and outlet, and an air register secured to said second box, said fuel boxes being annular in form and assembled in axial alinement to provide a passagefor the air and having the walls of the outlets inclined to the axes of the respective boxes, whereby the fuel will be discharged in the form of 0011- verging cones directly into the column of air as it flows through said passage.

might lead to serious losses. .Which 4. In combination, a. furnace having a wall with an opening therein, a fuel box and means for securing the same in position at the front of said'opening, said box having a fuel inlet and outlet, a second box secured to said first-named box and also having a fuel inlet and outlet, and an air register secured to said second box, the back plate of said register being frusto-conical in form with the smaller end next to said second fuel box to thereby provide a gradually decreasing passage from the register to said box, said fuel boxes being annular in form and assembled in axial alinement to provide a passage for the air, and said outlets so disposed as to discharge the fuel directly into the columnof air as it flows through said passage.

5. In combination, a furnace having a wall with an opening therein, two contiguous fuel boxes secured together in axial alinement and means for supporting them in position at the ,so disposed as to discharge directly into the column of air as it flows through said passage.

6. In combination, a furnace having a wall with an opening therein, two contiguous fuel boxes secured together and supported in position at the front of said opening, said boxes being annular in form and having fuel in lets and outlets, an air register securedto said boxes in axialalinement therewith, said register having a front plate, and a liquid fuel burner supported in said plate, said burner terminating in front of the outlets of said fuel boxes. a i

7. In combination, a furnace having a wall with an opening therein, two contiguous fuel boxes secured together and supported in position at the front of said openings, said boxes having fuel inlets and fuel outlets, the outer one of said boxes having a frustoconical wall one end of which forms one wall of the fuel outlet of said box, an air register having a wall in the form of a frustum of a cone the smaller end of which is at the en trance of the outer of said fuel boxes, said fuel boxes being annular in form and assembled in axial alinement with the air register to provide a passage for the air, and said fuel outlets being so disposed as to discharge directly into the column of air as it flows through said passage.

8. A burner unit, comprising two contiguous fuel boxes annular in form and secured together in axial alinement and having independent fuel inlets and independent outlets, the walls of the respective outlets being inclined to the axis of said boxes so as to discharge the fuel in the form of converging cones into the space defined by the inner walls of the boxes, and an air register secured to said boxes in axial alinement therewith.

9. A burner unit, comprising two contiguous fuel boxes annular in form and secured together in axial alinement and having independent fuel inlets and independent outlets, the walls of the respective outlets being inclined to the axis of said boxes so as to dis charge the fuel in the form of converging cones into the space defined by the inner walls of the boxes, an air register secured to said boxes in axial alinement therewith, and a liquid fuel burner supported by said register and terminating within the passage through the said fuel boxes.

10. A burner unit, comprising two contiguous annular fuel boxes secured together in axial alinement to provide an unobstructed passage bounded by the inner walls of said boxes, the inner wall of one of said boxes be ing in the form of a frustum of a cone with its larger end at the entrance to said passage, an air register secured to said lastnamed box. said register having a wall in the form of a frustum of a cone with its smaller end at the entrance to said passage.

11. A burner unit, comprising two annular fuel boxes secured together in axial alinem ent. said boxes having fuel inlets and fuel outlets so disposed as to discharge into the passage bounded by the inner walls of the boxes, an air register secured to one of said boxes adapted to deliver air for combustion to said passage, and a liquid fuel burner supported by said register and normally terminating within said passage.

12. In combination. a furnace having a wall with an opening therein, two independent fuel boxes annular in form and each having an inlet and outlet and assembled in axial alinement to provide a passage for air for combustion, the outer member of said boxes being a single piece having inwardly projecting flanges to provide means for securing it to other members of the boxes, and means for securing said boxes in position at the front of said opening.

13. In combination, a furnace having a wall with an opening therein, two independent fuel boxes annular in form and each having an inlet and outlet and assembled in axial alinement to provide a passage for air for combustion, the outer member of said boxes being a single piece having inwardly projecting flanges to provide means for securing it to other members of the boxes, an air register secured to the outer of said boxes, and

means for securing said boxes in position at the front of said opening.

Signed at New York citv,'in the county of New York and State of New York this 5th day of December A. D. 1927.

SAMUEL T. WARNER. 

